To Krypton From Earth
by I'm a Tiny Bronco
Summary: What if Clark never got his powers back in Season 5?  Takes place from the beginning of the third episode of that season and it will be a totally different direction.


Clark Kent's clock radio switches on at 6:30 AM, and Clark's eyes slowly open. Most of his friends would probably groan about waking up so early, especially on a Saturday, but Clark's Dad was actually letting him sleep quite late for a farm boy. So Clark lets the sun shine through the open window and onto his back as he breathes in the soft air of late summer. There were thousands of little feelings in his human body that he would have never experienced if he still had all the powers of a Kryptonian. "Am I still a Kryptonian?" Clark thinks to himself. The thought is brief, and then Clark turns in his bed to see Lana Lang curled up under the blankets, smiling.

"Good morning," Lana says. Her chestnut hair borders the side of her light brown face. Her big green eyes are glowing directly at Clark. Clark gets one second to feel like he's the luckiest guy in the world before Lana's mouth opens in an O of terror. "It's morning!" Lana cries, scrambling out of bed.

"It's morning," Clark realizes, pulling himself out of bed. Lana puts on her shorts, but you can't even see them under the enormous plaid shirt she has borrowed from Clark. In just his pajamas, Clark takes Lana's hand. "We have fifteen minutes until my Dad wakes up," Clark whispers.

"I should have gone home," Lana whispers tensely. Clark takes her by the shoulders.

"No you shouldn't have," Clark says. Lana smiles and looks down, abashed. A lock of hair falls over her shoulder and hangs in front of her face. Lana looks back up at Clark.

"Well I'd better get out of here if you want me to come back. Save me, Clark. Save me like you always do," Lana says. Clark's chest puffs out and he takes her up in his arms. He carries her out of the bedroom and glides down the stairs in heroic slow motion. Lana tries to stifle her giggling by burying her face in Clark's massive arm. It's good to be human.

On the first floor, Lana and Clark creep through the hardwood, sunlit hallway, giggling with nerves and hope as the door gets closer and closer. That's when Shelby, Clark's golden retriever, comes skittering out of the kitchen and leaps on Lana. The smell of coffee trails after her, and Clark follows the trail with his eyes until he is making very unsettling eye contact with Johnathan Kent. The good-looking older farmer gazes at Clark for a moment before turning to Lana. Clark figures that if he started telling people that he is an alien from outer space, they would look at him about the same way as Johnathan is looking at Lana right now.

Martha Kent is in the kitchen as well. "Oh Clark," she says, pouring a sympathetic glass of milk for her son.

"This is a decision that we both made," Lana says, stepping in front of Clark.

"Were you at least… were you safe?" asks Martha.

"Yes! Yes we were," Lana says hopefully.

"And I'm 18 now," Clark adds.

"That doesn't mean you make the rules in this house," says Johnathan, raising his voice a bit.

"Woof!" says Shelby.

Outside, Chloe Sullivan's little red car drives up the long dirt driveway into the Kent Farm. The cows inside the fence to her left moo and eat grass. Lana bangs out the screen door, flannel flying like a cape, and leaps into her car as Chloe pulls up. Chloe walks through a cloud of dust left by Lana's car and enters the house. Clark is sitting limply on a chair, his head bowed before his father. For a moment, Chloe is distracted enough to smile at the scene. She pushes her short blonde hair behind her ear and her eyes twinkle as she fills in the blanks on why Clark and Lana would both be in trouble at 6:35 in the morning.

"I'm sorry, Chloe, but I don't know if now is a good time," Johnathan says, and he is apologetic, giving her softer eyes that Clark always gets when he's going through trouble, not causing it. The smile leaves Chloe's face.

"The cave walls," Chloe says, "They're glowing." Clark and Johnathan run for their jackets.


End file.
